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DMS 419, 533 Tuesday, Thursday Fall 1998 10: 00 – 11:50 am Professor Mary Flanagan Office hours Noon – 1pm, Tuesday, Thursday http://mflanagan.fal.buffalo.edu marydot@ibm.net
The objective of Sound Design is to offer students the chance to explore issues and techniques in the area of sound design and digital audio production. Each class will consist of learning technical aspects of digital audio and will also offer listening exercises for students. Students will complete 3 group projects, one mid-term individual project, and a final project. The basis of grading will be judged on quality of the work, effort, and technical competency. In Class Critiques. Frequent critiques and listening exercises will increase the student's vocabulary on sound and will help develop critical listening skills. Students will be presenting their work. The professor will then lead a class discussion of the pieces. Group-Lead Listening/Discussion Thursdays throughout the semester students will work in groups to present sound pieces from existing media to the class. As part of these listening presentations, each group will create and explain a "sound map" to visually represent the sounds, the movements, types of sounds, or/and tracks, in the piece. These group-led discussions are a crucial part of the student experience as it gives students the opportunity to choose work not represented in the first few weeks of listening exercises to present to their peers and gives the rest of the students exposure to new material. Pieces must be complex or theoretically rich, and should pertain to the course.
Group Projects. Students will create three group projects: a sound design to a still image, a soundscape entirely created after shooting video or film, and a motion video project. These group exercises will be short and will allow students to explore concepts and technologies in groups. Individual Projects. Students will work on two individual projects--a "sync sound to audio" exercise and a final original sound/image combination of their choosing.
Course Policies: Attendance: Attendance is MANDATORY. Don’t be late. After 2 unexcused absences you will lose 2% of your all grade for each missed class in addition to points off for participation. Graduate Student Requirements: The final project for graduate students should an extensive piece of work suitable for entry into competitions or festivals. In addition, the student must individually lead a course discussion during the semester. Work: All written work created for the class other than the listening journal must by typed. All of the work you do in class must be original work, ie your own, and cannot be used to fulfill the requirements in another course unless proposed in writing and worked out in advance with the instructor(s). Sounds "sampled" or borrowed from existing musical pieces or media cannot be used as the main component of an assignment without obvious signs of interpretation, Late Assignments: Except in circumstances pre-approved by the instructor, late assignments drop an entire grade per day late, with failure at 5 days. I will not accept projects later than 5 days. Lab Fee: This course carries a $75.00 lab fee. This fee defrays the cost of wear and tear on equipment, is used to purchase and upgrade software, and makes more stations available to the students. DMS 419 students will also receive two DAT tapes from their lab fees. If you have a disability (physical, learning, or psychological) which may make it difficult for you to carry out the coursework as outlined, and/or requires accommodations such as recruiting note takers, readers, or extended time on exams and assignments, please contact the Office of Disability Services, 25 Capen Hall, 645-2608. Also, inform your instructor during the first two weeks of class. ODS will provide you with information and will review appropriate arrangements for reasonable accommodations.
Assignments & Grade Breakdown: 5% Exercise One, Group Project: Recording Record original sounds based on a theme using each kind of microphone available. 5% Quiz 1 Quiz based on microphone, tape, cables, sampling basics, the readings, and various recording information covered in previous classes. 5% Exercise Two, Group Project: Sampling Record using a microphone and DAT and create 8 original samples. At least four of the samples must meet requirements: at least one sample must be seamlessly looped; one must be processed internally with an effect (such as reverb); one must have an edited sound envelope; and one must be amplified from the source input volume. This exercise is a technique exercise; points will be taken away for poor recording or sloppy sampling. 10% Exercise Three, Individual Project: Create a Sound Environment Using basic recording and sampling techniques, create a multi-layered sound environment to a still image or object using ProTools. The sound environment must be a multi-track ProTools project. 15% Quiz 2 Quiz based on basic Mac and PC functions, sampling, sequencing, midi, Protools based on advanced sampling, sequencing concepts, SMPTE, the readings. And information covered in previous classes. 30% Class Participation Attendance, Journals, Presentations, Reading, Discussion, Critique. 10% Exercise Four, Group Project: Sequencing and Moving Images Use a motion image and create a sound environment for it. Record a multi-track ProTools session with midi information and mixdown.
20% Final Project The Final project must creatively incorporate the techniques learned in class in an original piece: digital audio recording, digitizing, sequencing using midi and smpte timecode. They should be short if incorporating video or other motion imaging. Grades are based on timeliness, use of techniques and concepts discussed in class, technical proficiency shown in the work, effort, and creative use of the medium.
Required texts: Audio-Vision : Sound on Screen by Michel Chion, Claudia Gorbman (Editor), Translator Columbia Univ Pr; 1993 ISBN: 0231078994 (18.50) (Available at Talking Leaves Book Store, 3158 Main Street)
Sound Design Reader Various Authors (available at Image Solutions, 3173 Main-- across the street from Talking Leaves)
In general….Tuesdays are technical days Thursdays are listening ~ discussion days.
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